It's that time again...time to cook dinner. The dreaded question...what are you going to make? Then proceeds at least half an hour of searching pinterest, or cookbooks, trying hopelessly to find an idea you have the time and means to prepare. Thereafter comes the frustration of time wasted and nothing exciting to make. In the end it ends up being one of your fall back meals, or even better, a pre-processed meal that is anything but satisfying in the flavorful and nutritional departments...UGH...
Sound familiar? This is where I'd raise my hand, guilty as charged. I often have so many good intentions but without a plan it often falls through and puts a damper on the rest of the evening. Now, I'm sure you all have the perfect solution to this problem, but I thought I'd share one of my tricks for any of you poor souls that may be like me. It includes (dare I say it...) PLANNING! I know, that requires time and effort! Who has time for that?! But honestly, it may require a half hour or so planning session for a week's worth of meals instead of wasting that same amount of time daily, or even every meal, figuring out what to cook. So, at least for me, it actually saves a lot of time and gets me more excited to cook meals from scratch! (Which, if you've read my previous posts, you know is totally worth it to me!
Sound familiar? This is where I'd raise my hand, guilty as charged. I often have so many good intentions but without a plan it often falls through and puts a damper on the rest of the evening. Now, I'm sure you all have the perfect solution to this problem, but I thought I'd share one of my tricks for any of you poor souls that may be like me. It includes (dare I say it...) PLANNING! I know, that requires time and effort! Who has time for that?! But honestly, it may require a half hour or so planning session for a week's worth of meals instead of wasting that same amount of time daily, or even every meal, figuring out what to cook. So, at least for me, it actually saves a lot of time and gets me more excited to cook meals from scratch! (Which, if you've read my previous posts, you know is totally worth it to me!
Now, if the picture at the top of this blog didn't give away my big secret to meal planning, let me clue you in. Use a Menu Board! What? That's not a secret? Ok, fine. But still, it can make a huge difference in your exciting dinner cooking success rate. It's worked for me...and I can certainly tell when I don't use it too. Menu boards are a great asset in a kitchen for many reasons, and those reasons will vary depending on whose kitchen you're in, but here are a few of them.
Reach your meal cooking goals! Trying to eat healthier? Plan for it! You can choose meals that have more whole grains, more vegetables, less carbs, more organic. It really doesn't matter what your health goals are, you can have those types of meals planned out and written on your menu board, ready to go. Trying to cook out of your food storage? Trying to keep shopping trips under a budget? Trying to eat out of the garden/orchard? Or my personal favorite...Trying out as many of your pinterest recipes as possible? =) We all have goals to reach and a little planning can go a long way in helping us be more successful in achieving those goals.
Make shopping that much more simple! When you have your meals planned out, you know what ingredients you have and what needs to be on your shopping list. Often when people don't know exactly what they need, they have a tendency to come home with a lot of extra. It saves time and money to know what you need because you can get in, out, and on your way without all that extra.
Lastly, I want to point out that this menu board is YOURS. You get to personalize it to fit YOUR needs, not mine, not your aunts-best friends-daughters-cousin. It's yours, and needs to work for YOU. Mine is homemade with a metal magnet board mounted behind a frame I built, then painted and sanded to make it more rustic. All I use is dry erase markers on it, listing 7-8 meals. I don't even specify the day. I prefer the freedom of knowing what I have and deciding what I have the time and energy to prepare. You may be able to find one you can buy, or you can make your own if that's your preference. Pinterest has some awesome ideas for menu boards! Think through your needs/wants for your board. Do you want it listed by day? Every meal or just dinner? Entrees only, or include side dishes, drinks and desserts as well? Do you want one week worth, or a month? To finish it all off, what do you want it to look like? Home decor that can be as glamorous or as homey as you'd like. My sister and my son helped decorate mine!! (yes, the dry erase marker all over the frame would be my sons doing...but at least I get to smile often because of the touch of family on my menu board.) The options are endless, but with a little thought, you should be able to figure out what may be most beneficial for you.
I hope this gives you a few good ideas on meal planning for your own home. It's wonderful to have meals planned that you can look forward to. Good luck in your own meal planning endeavours and if you have some of your own ideas or experiences, feel free to share in the comments below.
Make shopping that much more simple! When you have your meals planned out, you know what ingredients you have and what needs to be on your shopping list. Often when people don't know exactly what they need, they have a tendency to come home with a lot of extra. It saves time and money to know what you need because you can get in, out, and on your way without all that extra.
Lastly, I want to point out that this menu board is YOURS. You get to personalize it to fit YOUR needs, not mine, not your aunts-best friends-daughters-cousin. It's yours, and needs to work for YOU. Mine is homemade with a metal magnet board mounted behind a frame I built, then painted and sanded to make it more rustic. All I use is dry erase markers on it, listing 7-8 meals. I don't even specify the day. I prefer the freedom of knowing what I have and deciding what I have the time and energy to prepare. You may be able to find one you can buy, or you can make your own if that's your preference. Pinterest has some awesome ideas for menu boards! Think through your needs/wants for your board. Do you want it listed by day? Every meal or just dinner? Entrees only, or include side dishes, drinks and desserts as well? Do you want one week worth, or a month? To finish it all off, what do you want it to look like? Home decor that can be as glamorous or as homey as you'd like. My sister and my son helped decorate mine!! (yes, the dry erase marker all over the frame would be my sons doing...but at least I get to smile often because of the touch of family on my menu board.) The options are endless, but with a little thought, you should be able to figure out what may be most beneficial for you.
I hope this gives you a few good ideas on meal planning for your own home. It's wonderful to have meals planned that you can look forward to. Good luck in your own meal planning endeavours and if you have some of your own ideas or experiences, feel free to share in the comments below.
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